It was one of those Bordeaux blue sky mornings! We woke late, thanks to the jet lag, then enjoyed a quick breakfast of fresh baguette and croissants from the local boulangerie.
We strolled down to the Chartrons Market. Known locally as the "Bo Bo" market (meaning Bohemian Bourgeois or "trendster") one can choose from a vast array of produce- fresh fruit and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, wine, bread, patisserie, fresh and pre-cooked meats, poultry and seafood dishes.
But the highlight for us, and our priority any sunny Sunday that we are lucky enough to be in Bordeaux, is the oyster stalls. There 6 oysters of your choice (which grade/size?) are shucked to order, and best washed down with a glass of Bordeaux Blanc. These oysters are so fresh one can taste the salty waters of the Basin d'Arcachon where these were harvested on the previous low tide. A perfect Bordeaux lunch. Then we grabbed some macarons for later.
Bordeaux was heaving, with the Euro finals in full swing. We found a bar near the Garonne to watch France v Ireland.
Fete le Vin, the Bordeaux wine festival, was underway as well . Crowds of wine lovers spilled from the wine tasting stands along the banks of the Garonne clutching wine glasses but were seemingly well behaved.
After the French match many of the tens of thousands of football fans from the nearby Fansite in Place de Quinconces headed to the wine stands. We found these 2 wearing the famous French coq symbol...
We had a stroll through the wine festival site but decided not to taste, due to the crowds.
Instead we decided to retreat to our apartment for a quiet Apero, before heading out to dinner. We enjoyed a glass of wonderful Domaine de la Croix Irrésistible rosé, cru classé from Provence.
We took a short stroll across the Pont de Pierre to Restaurant l'Estacade. It features a lot local seafood dishes. One of those menus where its hard to decide what to choose. It has a very good wine list with some top local wines, plus a good selection from other parts of France (which is a bit bit shocking in Bordeaux) and interesting wines by the glass thanks to Coravin. The service is excellent and the restaurant has a stunning view across the Garonne looking back to Place de la Bourse and central Bordeaux.
It's a perfect place to watch the sun set in this stunning natural ampitheatre, with water meeting sky, and framing the stunning architecture of the Bordeaux waterfront.
At 11pm we had a fantastic view of the Fete le Vin son et lumière (sound and light show ).
Then at 1130pm we ordered a half bottle of Gosset rosé Champagne and moved to the deck to watch the fireworks exploding above our heads over the Garonne. An amazing ending to a perfect Sunday in Bordeaux.
